Here's how you can effectively convey your vision to your team.

Scaling a SaaS platform requires a simple, yet flexible architecture. Frequent changes make updates tricky. Visual aid tools such as PlantUML, LucidChart etc. can bridge the gap. Version control keeps everyone in sync, while visual tools empower teams to discuss changes graphically, fostering a well-understood architecture. An architectural review ensures proposed modifications consider performance and scalability. Only approved changes are implemented, guaranteeing a solid foundation for future features. Clear communication is key. These practices create a simple, adaptable architecture for your demanding SaaS platform.

I find that any documentation, whether it be visual aids or other clarifications of requirements must also be clearly versioned, so that all parties (customer as well as the development team) can be sure that they are referencing the latest article(s).

You can use the C4 model framework to help you describe your solutions and aid with communication, efficient onboarding of new staff, architecture evaluations, risk identifications, threat modeling, etc.

By analyzing how conveying a vision aligns with system architecture principles, this article would demonstrate my understanding of both leadership and technical expertise

Depending on how big is the target audience consider including videos walking through those diagrams or record the sessions when you explain such diagrams the first time. They become a bit more difficult to update (addendum videos are an option) but I've experienced that they are much more effective than the standalone images.

Imagine a system architecture as a city. Different components like databases, servers, and applications are like individual buildings, Data flow within the system is like traffic in the city, A well-designed system architecture should adapt to growth, just like a city,

One of the key benefits of consistency is that architectural patterns repeat itself across the system. This is great because it follows the principle of least astonishment when someone is trying to understand any part of the system. So it's not important to just simplify concepts but also extract patterns and principles that will help navigate how architectural problems are solved in the system. That way you are not just conveying what is the solution (snapshot of the current system architecture) but the problem solving process. This has a substantial benefit on the team future decissions when it comes to adapt and architect the system for future challenges.

Less is more. If you go for simplicity, you'll find yourself covering more of the entire system architecture, talking less and allowing the others to contribute. Your message will be conveyed with less effort

Le fait de simplifier permet de mettre la vision à la portée de tout le monde. Chaque collaborateur n'a pas forcément le même niveau de connaissance sur le sujet ou la même appétence sur le sujet. Urbaniser le concept fait également partie du processus de communication et de compréhension de l'architecture système.

Your system architecture updates can effectively maintain team alignment with your vision. Remember, your vision isn't static, and these updates provide the platform for it to evolve and adapt as your project progresses.

Drastic changes are not usual in the product/technology vision and it's cascading effect can be dramatic. So if the company vision pivots and new architectural solutions need to accomodate such change it's important to keep all stakeholders informed. It's important to ellaborate action plans that include everything from migrations to process changes. Big changes in vision have the potential to shake the foundations of your IT department and the whole company, act accordingly.

Having at least one quarterly review, will keep everyone in the loop. When significant changes show, inform all involved parties to be aligned. Schedule interactive time for feedback and further tuning.

Mixed methodology is the key in my opinion, stand up meeting for example to identify the most important updates and a dedicated meeting to analyze them in details, once or twice a week managing exception. This can help maintaining the team aligned and also the roadmap updated. Update is a living identity like the team, you have to interact with it.

I personally support the idea of architecture as a function and not as a role. If you are in the role of an architect be aware that it's first and foremost a leadership position. As such, it's most important to be able to help the team as a mentor providing architectural guidance. But mentoring is an activity where the mentor also needs to be open and enriched by the exchange. You may have a clearer vision or more experience but the rest of the team has much more detailed knowledge about problems, operations, problematic use cases.. Make sure the exchange is effective. Architectural design is best when it grows organically (involving all the team) that when defined top to bottom.

LLMs can be a huge time saver here. You can have a technical documentation that is then converted to a summary, simplified version or business lingo using the adecuate prompts.

In every project, different people have different information needs about the system architecture. Use technical jargon less with stakeholders and use analogies. Go deeper depending on the audience and the time

Effectively conveying your vision to your team is critical to ensuring that everyone is aligned towards the same goals and motivated to achieve them. It is important to define and clarify the vision: * Develop a clear and concise vision statement that can be easily understood by all team members. * Be specific about what the vision entails and what success expects. Avoid vague terms. * Make sure the vision is consistent with the organization's values and mission. * Connect the vision to the team's current projects and goals to make it clear why it's important. By implementing these strategies, you can effectively convey your vision to your team, creating a sense of common purpose and motivation to achieve your goals.

1. Know your audience 2. Use stories and metaphors 3. Be clear and concise 4. Be consistent and authentic 5. Invite feedback and participation

For instance, let's say we are going to develop a new cloud-based service platform. In my opinion, I will use a detailed, visually engaging presentation to outline the product's vision and highlight the key goals such as scalability, security, and user-centric design. By presenting a clear roadmap with milestones and involving the team in a Q&A session, which ensures everyone have understood their roles and how their work contributes to the overall vision. Regular follow-up meetings and collaborative tools like confluence etc. can be utilized to keep the vision aligned with progress. This approach will foster a shared understanding and commitment to the project goals.

On peut également mettre en place une bo?te à questions afin de permettre le libre échange et faciliter les feedbacks. Des points réguliers permettant de répondre aux interrogations, faire des update si besoin et ainsi transmettre au mieux la vision en toute transparence